The present invention relates generally to conveyor rolls and, more particularly, to a new and useful quick connect-disconnect coupling for a conveyor roll.
In the art of manufacturing glass, it has been customary to employ power rotated rolls to convey glass, whether in ribbon or sheet form, through a furnace for various heat treating operations. Generally, the rolls extend transversely across the furnace with their opposite ends projecting through opposite sidewalls of the furnace. The major intermediate portions of the rolls are confined within the heating chamber of the furnace and consequently are exposed to elevated temperatures and severe service conditions. For example, the rolls are subjected to intense heat for long periods of time, substantial thermal variations, oxidizing and/or reducing atmospheres, warpage, cyclical speed changes and varying load conditions, any one of which may cause roll deterioration and require replacement. Generally, the replacement of one or more faulty or damaged rolls requires furnace cool down and shut down, thereby adding materially to production costs. In addition, roll replacement sometimes damages the support bearings and/or the gear drive mechanism to which they are operatively connected, thereby necessitating other accessory equipment replacement to further increase production costs.